BIO-TIC Roadmaps – your comments please!

Despite the many major drivers for its application in tackling some of today’s huge global societal challenges, such as climate change and dwindling fossil fuel resources, several hurdles continue to hamper the full exploitation of Industrial Biotechnology’s (IB) potential. SusChem’s FP7 funded BIO-TIC project is “a solutions approach” centred on an extensive exercise that is comprehensively examining these many innovation hurdles in IB across Europe and formulating action plans and recommendations to overcome them. Three revised roadmaps have just been published by BIO-TIC and are now open for consultation.

The three roadmaps covering markets, technological and non-technological issues, have just been published (April 2014) and represent the second draft of the roadmaps. They are based on literature studies, more than 60 interviews with experts, and on the information collected through eight regional workshops undertaken by BIO-TIC across Europe.

Claire Gray, BIO-TIC project co-ordinator at EuropaBio saids: “These roadmaps bring a good overview of the challenges that IB is facing today in Europe but, most importantly, they also propose several solutions towards making Europe the world’s leading region for industrial biotechnology by 2030. Despite its many societal, environmental and economic advantages, hurdles to the uptake of industrial biotech in Europe persist.”

The final roadmaps (to be available in July 2015) will show the relationship between potential market developments, research and development needs, and regulatory and non-technological aspects impacting on IB innovation. The BIO-TIC roadmaps will serve to highlight these areas and formulate action plans on how various stakeholders can work together to overcome the major current and future issues that hamper the huge potential that IB could realise for Europe.

Bio-Roadmaps
Brief details and links to the three road maps are given below.

The market roadmap relates to current markets for a selection of five IB business cases for Europe, and market projections extending to 2030.

The technological roadmap aims to gain insight into the R&D related hurdles that are impeding the full realization of Europe’s IB market potential in 2030. In addition, the roadmap seeks to set priorities in terms of R&D and other actions to overcome the R&D hurdles.

The non-technological roadmap aims to identify regulatory and non-technological hurdles that may inhibit IB innovation towards identified market opportunities in the market roadmap.

Pádraig Naughton, Innovation Manager at Cefic, said: “These roadmaps identify the main barriers currently limiting the growth of IB in the process industry and give initial pointers to solutions. We encourage readers to express their views and give feedback, to make the final integrated roadmap as comprehensive as possible.”

Your input required

The BIO-TIC roadmapping process cannot be realised without your engagement! So please take a look at the roadmaps and send us your comments and contributions (by end of August 2014) to the BIO-TIC secretariat.

All BIO-TIC roadmaps can be downloaded via the BIO-TIC web portal and you can view the BIO-TIC press release here for more details.

What is BIO-TIC?
The BIO-TIC FP7 project is the largest network dedicated to industrial biotechnology and the bioeconomy. Launched in September 2012, BIO-TIC is a three-year project offering “a solutions approach” centred on a solid road mapping exercise involving a broad stakeholder base from industry, knowledge organisations, governments and civil society.

Regional workshops are part of a series of stakeholder events that will take place at national and European level to reach a comprehensive view on the solutions BIO-TIC can offer to accelerate market uptake of industrial biotechnology and the development of the bioeconomy. The final aim of the project will be to draw up a blueprint document with a comprehensive set of policy recommendations for overcoming the identified innovation hurdles within a selection of European business and societal opportunities.

You can find out more about the project at the BIO-TIC website and there is an active BIO-TIC Linked-In group that is open to anyone interested in the transformative potential of industrial biotechnology.